“In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart,” Franklin’s family said in a statement. “We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family,” he said.

Leading civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson, who visited Franklin earlier this week, tweeted: “A lot of music left the earth today. The Heavens rejoice. Rest in heavenly peace.”

Franklin also sang at the 2009 inaguaration of former President Barack Obama, who described her as someone who “helped define the American experience”.

“America has no royalty,” Obama said in a statement after Franklin’s death. “But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring,” he added.

“For more than six decades … every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine … In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every share – our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect.”

Franklin’s music career last for more than six decades [Val Wilmer/Redferns/Getty Images]

Artists share their memories

Dozens of artists – many of whom peformed with Franklin over the years – took to Twitter to share their condolences and memories of the global icon.

Fellow American singer, Patti LaBelle, said the “world has experienced a tremendous loss”.

“Aretha was a rare treasure whose unmatched musical genius helped craft the soundtrack to the lives of so many,” LaBelle tweeted.

Barbra Streisand shared a photo of her and Franklin from 2012, tweeting: “It’s difficult to conceive of a world without her. Not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer, but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world.”

This photo was taken in 2012 when Aretha & I performed at a tribute celebration for our friend Marvin Hamlisch. It’s difficult to conceive of a world without her. Not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer,but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world pic.twitter.com/Px9zVB90MM

“She will be missed but the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being will live with us forever,” he tweeted.

Let’s all take a moment to give thanks for the beautiful life of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of our souls, who inspired us all for many many years. She will be missed but the memory of her greatness as a musician and a fine human being will live with us forever. Love Paul pic.twitter.com/jW4Gpwfdts